Kidney stones??

Hi guys, I've had a kidney infection, that now won't go away. My primary care doc thinks I may have stones. I've heard that that's fairly common with wls patients, due to the amounts of protein we eat. Has anyone had any experience with this?? I go back to the doctor in the morning for some tests...I'm skeered!!

Ouch---Kidney stones can be painful. Hope it goes away soon. Julia

I hope you are feeling better soon. I'm not a doctor and I'm not giving medical advice - just voicing my opinion: I thought kidney stones in weight loss patients could be caused by taking the wrong kind of calcium. We can no longer break down calcium carbonate and are supposed to only take calcium citrate. Anyone taking a protton pump inhibitor (priolsec and meds like that even if they're not a WLS patient) is also supposed to take calcium citrate as they don't have enough stomach acid to break down the calcium carbonate anymore. I hope you feel better soon and it's not kidney stones OUCH! Lizzie

OUCH OUCH OUCH!!! I had two kidney stones pre WLS and they hurt bad! Mine were from protein. I would rather have 10 babies at once than one kindey stone! Sending you hugs and prayers! Good luck- Jenni

I have had kidney stones myself, several years ago(before wls). I never had pain because the stone was lodged in one side of a ureter, it caused my kidney to swell and could of led to an infection or worse but I was treat with lithitripsy, to blast the stone apart so it could pass. The stone was seen on an abdominal ultrasound. Here is some info that might be of interest for you. It is copied from the (AKF ) American Kidney Fund web site. What is a Kidney Stone? A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney out of substances in the urine. A stone may stay in the kidney or break loose and travel down the urinary tract. A small stone may pass all of the way out of the body without causing much pain. A larger stone may get stuck in a ureter (the tube that connects your kidneys and bladder), the bladder, or the urethra (the tube in your body that urine leaves from). A large stone can block the flow of urine and cause great pain. If you have a kidney stone, you may already know how painful it can be. Most kidney stones pass out of the body without help from a doctor, but sometimes a stone will not just go away or may even get larger. Your doctor can help. Pain in the shaded areas in the picture on the right may be caused by kidney stones. The pain can either be on the left side or right side, depending upon the location of the kidney stone. When Should I See a Doctor? Extreme pain in your back or side that will not go away. Blood in your urine. Fever and chills. Vomiting. Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy. A burning feeling when you urinate. The most common type of stone contains calcium. Calcium is a normal part of a healthy diet. Calcium not needed by the bones and muscles must be removed by the kidneys. In most people, the kidneys flush out extra calcium with the rest of the urine. People who have calcium stones keep the calcium in their kidneys. The calcium then joins other waste products to form a stone. A struvite stone may form after an infection in the urinary system. These stones contain magnesium and the waste product ammonia. A uric acid stone may form when there is too much acid in the urine. If you tend to form uric acid stones, you may need to cut back on the how much meat (protein) you eat. The fourth type of kidney stone is called a cystine stone. Cystine stones are very rare. Cystine is one of the building blocks that make up muscles, nerves, and other parts of the body. The disease that causes cystine stones usually runs in families What can I Do to Avoid More Stones? Try to drink 8 to 12 full glasses of water every day. Drinking lots of water helps to flush away the things that form stones in the kidneys. Limit your coffee, tea, and cola to one or two cups a day because the caffeine may cause you to lose fluid too quickly. Your doctor may ask you to eat more of some foods and to cut back on other foods. For example, if you have a uric acid stone, your doctor may ask you to eat less meat, because meat breaks down to make uric acid. Your doctor may give you medicines to prevent calcium and uric acid stones. THe most important thing you can do is Drink Drink Drink water. Good luck on your tests. Sher

Thanks so much for all your responses! After several tests today, it turns out they could not find any stones, YAY! But she did diagnose me with something called interstitial cystitis...never heard of it. Basically, it sounds like non-specific bladder, and pelvic pain, no infection. SO, I'm on a new medication, trying to clear that up! Thanks again for all the input! I appreciate you guys!

I hope you are feeling better soon. Lizzie